Climate change could reverse years of development progress, according to experts

As part of a series of debates, UNICEF brought together three experts - Dr Saleemul Haq of the International Institute for Envrionment and development, Tom Mitchell from the Overseas Development Institute and Esther Agbarakwe, the head of the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition.

All three spoke of their concerns over the impact that climate change was having on poorer countries across the globe in terms of poverty and hunger and how young people were now finding their voice to speak out against governments failing to act on their behalf.

"Young people and children are coming out to tell the world how climate is impacting them," Esther Agbarakwe said.

"I think with technology we have now - social media and all those things - we will use those to hold governments to account and let them know that children should be considered as key moralistic account holders in the discussion on climate change. It's affecting them now, it will affect them tomorrow and will do in the years to come."

The three also discussed the effects that were now becoming apparent because of climate change, including the rise in food prices and a subsequent rise in malnutrition, the changing patterns of disease in developing countries and the problem of increased salt intrusion in soils as sea levels rise.